Participatory culture refers to a social and cultural environment in which individuals are not merely passive consumers of media content but actively engage in its creation, sharing, interpretation, and circulation. In such a culture, people feel that their contributions matter, their voices can be heard, and they can collaborate with others through various platforms. Participatory culture is characterized by low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement, strong support for creating and sharing content, informal mentorship among participants, and a sense of social connection. In the context of journalism and digital media, participatory culture has transformed the traditional one-way flow of information into a more interactive, networked, and democratic process. Digital media plays a central role in encouraging public participation because it provides accessible tools and platforms that allow ordinary citizens to produce and distribute content at a scale previously possible only for large media organizations. The internet, social media platforms, blogs, podcasts, and video-sharing websites have significantly reduced the cost and technical complexity of content creation. As a result, individuals can now report news, express opinions, share experiences, and contribute to public discourse in real time. This shift has blurred the boundaries between journalists and audiences, giving rise to concepts such as citizen journalism, user-generated content, and collaborative news production. One of the most important ways digital media encourages participation is through social networking platforms